Blaby: 'Aggressive' dog tried to bite neck of horse on country lane

Cara Turnbull and Jack regularly ride along Mill Lane

A loose dog tried to jump up and bite the neck of a horse being ridden along a Leicestershire lane, his rider says.

Cara Turnbull was riding her gypsy cob Jack along Mill Lane between Blaby and South Wigston on Wednesday when they were confronted by an "aggressive" dog off its owner's lead.

While shaken, both the rider and horse were uninjured in the incident.

Leicestershire Police says it is investigating the attack and trying to identify the owner of the dog.

Ms Turnbull said the pair had passed the group with the dog in one direction and asked the owner to put it on a lead while they walked by, but on their return they rounded a corner and the dog started to attack.

The dog began snapping at the horse's fetlocks, joined by its owner trying to grab the harness it was wearing.

It then began to jump at the horse's neck.

Fearing for the safety of the dog and its owners should her horse kick out in defence, Cara managed to ride away from the pair before calming Jack, who was uninjured.

The bridleway is usually a safe space for horse riders

The 22-year-old told the BBC: "It's my local bridleway and my only option without going on a main road, and it's normally quiet, with a lot of dog walkers, children on bikes, and not a lot of cars.

"It was all a blur when it happened.

"Luckily Jack has long feathers surrounding his hooves so the dog was trying to grab the hair and there were no cuts.

"My horse is quite young so he is going to be nervous around other dogs now, he'll probably be a bit timid and nervous, which makes me nervous to take him out along that lane again knowing he could freak out.

"It's shook us both up. It could have been much worse."

Leicestershire Police said inquiries into the incident were ongoing.

Jack has been timid since the incident